


a rose by another name

by SydneyHorses



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: First Kiss, Flowers, M/M, Post-Timeskip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:09:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25321432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SydneyHorses/pseuds/SydneyHorses
Summary: Dedue returns to them at the Battle of Ailell. Sylvain doesn't quite know how to properly express how much he missed him, but actions say what words cannot.
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier/Dedue Molinaro
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	a rose by another name

**Author's Note:**

> just a cute one shot for two boys i love ;; i think they should kiss and also hold hands

Dedue comes back to them at the Battle of Ailell. The relief is near-overwhelming; in a war where everything around them is dying, on a battlefield where Sylvain can feel the scant remains of his heart igniting and turning to ash, Dedue’s return is a breath of clean, fresh air.

Sylvain doesn’t say that, of course. After the battle, he claps Dedue on the shoulder and smiles at him. Dedue nods, and Sylvain doesn’t say anything else.

It’s enough.

-

The thing Sylvain missed the most about Dedue is the ability to be quiet. There’s always an itch under his skin, something telling him to move or speak or run. Dedue doesn’t make it go away - nothing does - but he soothes it. In Dedue’s presence, Sylvain remembers that the quiet can be comfortable. It can be healing. Sometimes, it can even be loving.

The weather has been unusually hot as of late. It’s a far cry from Faerghus, with its bitter chills and spring frosts. Sylvain hates the heat, and so he’s relieved when Dedue suggests clearing rubble in the morning, instead of late afternoon like they normally do.

They finish the section they were assigned just as the heat is starting to get unbearable. Sylvain sighs and falls to the ground, staring up at the large hole in the ceiling. He loves chores with Dedue; it’s much easier than any of the others. Him and Felix snap at each other the whole time, and Ingrid gets distracted with a lecture.

Dimitri, of course, doesn’t do much of anything these days.

But with Dedue, Sylvain can relax. They work in silence, and they get the work done in a timely manner. “Great job, team.” A beam of sunlight cuts through the crumbling roof of the cathedral. “It’s so hot, Dedue. No one should be this hot.”

“It is uncomfortably warm,” Dedue agrees.

“Ugh.” Sylvain sighs, throwing a hand over his face. “I’m going to go put my feet in the fishing pond.”

Dedue doesn’t say anything. Sylvain stands, shooting him a curious look. “Are you coming?”

“I suppose.” Dedue follows Sylvain out of the cathedral, across the bridge and down the steps to the lake.

Once there, Sylvain strips off his shoes and socks, plunging his feet into the cold water of the lake. He lets out a sigh. “Ah. There we go.”

Dedue sits down next to him. “Is that better?”

Sylvain falls backwards onto the ground, looking up at the pale blue sky once more. “Yeah. A little. You gonna put your feet in?”

“No.”

“Okay.” Sylvain closes his eyes and lets out a heavy sigh. “Dedue, I’m really glad you’re back.”

It takes a long while for Dedue to respond. The water laps gently against the shore, and when he finally speaks, Dedue’s voice is quieter than usual. “Thank you, Sylvain. I am glad that you think so.”

“I missed you,” Sylvain admits. He opens his eyes and sits up, pulling his feet out of the lake. “I should get going. We both should.”

“Very well.” Dedue stands. 

Sylvain picks up his shoes and gets to his feet, stretching. He’ll still have time to hit the sauna before lunch if he hurries.

“Sylvain?” Dedue sounds almost nervous.

Sylvain glances over his shoulder. “What’s up?”

Dedue steps closer. “I think that you are a good person,” Dedue says. He sounds quiet and heartachingly sincere.

Sylvain’s eyes slip shut as the weight of Dedue’s words wash over him. “You don’t have to lie to me.”

Dedue rests a heavy, warm hand on his shoulder. “I see no reason to lie, especially about matters such as that.”

Sylvain tenses. He wants to flinch away from the words, to leave and never talk to Dedue about himself again, but that wouldn’t be fair to the man. He deserves the world, deserves far more than Sylvain himself can give. “Thanks.”

“You know I dislike lying.”

Sylvain’s jaw works. “Yeah. I know.” They sit the rest of the time in silence, Dedue’s words weighing heavy on his heart. It feels different, when Dedue tells him these sorts of things. He wishes he knew how to repay the favor. 

-

Sylvain doesn’t spend a lot of time in the greenhouse. Certainly not enough to know the greenhouse keeper’s name. Still, he smiles warmly at her when he sees her, as though they’ve been friends for ages. “Hey! Do you know what Dedue’s favorite flower is?”

She frowns. “Dedue? Why do you want to know?”

“We’re friends.” Sylvain holds up his hands, palms facing her. “I’m just trying to do something nice for the guy.”

Her brow knits. “Dedue is a nice young man. He goes through a lot.”

“I know that,” Sylvain replies. “Like I said. I’m trying to do something nice for him. He did something nice for me. I’m repaying a favor.”

“Well,” she glances around the nearly empty greenhouse. “His _favorite_ flowers are the ones he grows from Duscur. But those are rare, and you shouldn’t pick them. Other than those, I’m not sure.”

Sylvain nods. “Right. Okay. Thanks for the help.” He looks at a patch of colorful flowers by the door, frowning contemplatively. What would Dedue like best?

-

That night, Sylvain pulls Dedue aside after dinner and asks if he’ll meet him in the upstairs dormitory hallway in an hour or so. Dedue doesn’t question it, and Sylvain is thankful for the reprieve. Even that brief conversation sent Sylvain’s heart into a staccato.

When Sylvain steps out of his room at half past eight, Dedue is already waiting outside. He’s not wearing his full set of armor for once, but his deep blue scarf is still looped around his neck. Good. Sylvain’s gift would look foolish otherwise.

“It’s not much.” Sylvain pauses. “But I wanted to do something for you.” He takes a deep breath, gathering his courage. “You take care of everyone. I think you deserve someone to take care of you for awhile.”

“Sylvain,” Dedue says. “That is most unnecessary. It is my responsibility to look after His Highness, and I am a skilled fighter. Protecting the rest of you in battle is important.”

“Well, sure.” Sylvain runs the hand not behind his back through his hair. The hallway is empty, which is fortunate. He doesn’t need any rumors about his philandering to harm Dedue. His reputation (and habits) have calmed down since the war started, but still. These things tend to linger. “I know that.”

Dedue doesn’t speak, presumably waiting for him to go on.

Sylvain bites his bottom lip, a rush of nerves shooting through his body. He might have misread everything. He might ruin this. “But regardless… well.” He brings his hand out from around his back, Dedue’s eyes darting to the flowers in his hand. They’re delphiniums, bright blue and picked from the edge of the greenhouse. They attract butterflies on warm days, and they were the closest color to Dedue’s scarf that he could find.

“These are for me?” Dedue is staring at the flowers as though he’s never seen them before.

“It’s fine if you don’t want them!” Sylvain tightens his grip on the bundle, tilting the bouquet towards Dedue. “I just thought they would like nice with your eyes.”

Dedue’s mouth twitches. “My eyes?”

“The green of the stems… and your eyes are green?” Sylvain is ruining everything. Dedue is one of his few friends that sticks by him not because of any sense of duty but because he - against all odds - genuinely likes Sylvain. “And I thought the blue would match your scarf?” He should stop talking.

“I see.” Dedue takes the flowers from Sylvain, his fingers brushing up against Sylvain’s. “Thank you.” 

Sylvain nods, unsure of what to do next. In his head, Dedue had been just as easy to woo as one of the girls in town. He doesn’t know why he would think such a thing; Dedue can see through all his false flattery and posturing. It occurs to Sylvain that he’s been with a lot of people, but he’s never gotten good at flirting with people who he genuinely wanted to be around. 

Dedue carefully pulls one of the delphiniums out, regarding it for a long moment before snapping part of the stem off. Sylvain is about to protest and point out that there are plenty of other ways to turn a guy down, not to mention the fact that it took work to pick all those flowers and find a suitable ribbon for the bouquet.

Instead, he snaps his mouth shut as Dedue ever so gently tucks the flower behind his ear. He smiles at Sylvain, hesitant and almost shy. “Well?”

Sylvain beams. He always finds Dedue attractive, likes looking at the slope of his shoulders and the curve of his jaw. But now, with a soft smile on his face and a flower tucked slyly behind his ear, he looks gorgeous. “I like it.” Before he can think the better of himself, he reaches out and touches the flower, hesitating with his right hand outstretched. “I was right. It brings out your eyes.”

Sylvain goes to lower his hand, but Dedue reaches up and wraps gentle fingers around his wrist, guiding Sylvain’s touch to his jaw. Sylvain swallows. “Are you sure?”

Dedue’s blushing. The realization hits Sylvain all at once, and he grins, his own face warming. “I would tell you if I wasn’t.”

“Fair enough.” Sylvain runs a careful thumb over Dedue’s cheek. There’s a scar there, one that none of them have yet learned the story behind. It’s fine. Dedue will tell them when he’s ready, and Sylvain will be beside him the whole time.

Sylvain is so busy thinking, that he doesn’t realize Dedue has moved closer. His eyes widen, and he’s about to ask again if he’s sure when Dedue kisses him. Every other thought leaves Sylvain’s mind.

His eyes close with a flutter and he melts into the touch, his free hand reaching for Dedue’s arm and pulling him closer. It’s a gentle kiss, over almost before it even really began, but it has the promise of another, and that’s enough.

Sylvain presses their foreheads together, giving them both a moment. There are no words spoken between the two of them, just the air they’re sharing and Dedue’s arms wrapped around his waist. There will be more words later, more kisses and discussions of what exactly this means. But for now, all that matters is that they exist, and that neither of them is alone.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk about dedue with me on twitter @edelgardlesbian !!!!


End file.
